Local Photo RestoreRemini vs Local Photo Restore for old family photos
Written by the developer of Local Photo Restore. Remini details come from its U.S. App Store listing and website, checked September 25, 2026.
Choose Remini if your photos have tiny or very blurry faces, or scratches, and you’re comfortable uploading them and paying a subscription. Choose Local Photo Restore if your photos are faded, yellowed, or soft, you want them processed on your own device, and you’d rather pay $3.99 once.
Side by side
| Local Photo Restore | Remini | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (U.S.) | $3.99 once; no in-app purchases | Free download; subscriptions such as Pro Weekly $9.99 or 1 Month $9.99 |
| Where photos are processed | On your iPhone or iPad | Remini’s servers (cloud) |
| Account | None | Optional sign-in |
| Face enhancement | No dedicated face model; whole-image enhancement | Yes, generative face enhancement |
| Scratch repair | No | Claimed in the App Store description |
| Yellow tint & faded contrast | Yes, dedicated sliders and Auto Fix | General color enhancement |
| Enlargement | Up to 4x, capped near 17 MP | Yes (HD enhancement) |
| Other features | Old photos only | Many other AI photo features |
Where Remini is the better choice
Remini’s face models are its strength. On a group photo where each face is a few dozen pixels, it can produce sharp, detailed faces that Local Photo Restore won’t. It also claims scratch repair, which this app doesn’t attempt. If those are your problems, Remini (or MyHeritage) is worth trying.
The trade-off: generated faces are predictions. They can shift the shape of eyes, teeth, or smiles, so a sharp result may look less like the person. Compare it with the original, especially for people you knew. More on invented detail.
Where Local Photo Restore fits better
- Privacy. Nothing is uploaded. Remini processes photos in the cloud; its web policy says uploads are deleted after 15 days, or 1 day without an account.
- Cost for a one-time project. $3.99 once versus a weekly or monthly plan you need to remember to cancel.
- Yellowed and faded color prints. Dedicated Remove Yellow Tint and Restore Contrast controls with a live preview.
- Conservative results. No generated faces; the people stay recognizably themselves.
Could you use both?
Yes. Some people fix color and resolution privately first, and upload only the one or two photos with badly damaged faces to a cloud service. Whatever you use, keep the untouched original.
Sources
Checked September 25, 2026: Remini on the U.S. App Store (description and in-app purchase list); Remini privacy and cookie policy; Remini photo restorer; Local Photo Restore on the App Store.
Local Photo Restore costs $3.99 once in the U.S. App Store, with no subscription or in-app purchases. iPhone and iPad, iOS or iPadOS 18.2 or later.